Slick conditions in the Gorge cause many wrecks

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TROUTDALE, Ore. – Winds whipping through the metro area and the cold temperatures made for major problems Thursday night in the Columbia River Gorge.

It was bitterly cold and windy at the truck stop in Troutdale and the on-ramp nearby to Interstate 84 eastbound was not where drivers wanted to be heading.

Cars and trucks crashed along that freeway near Corbett and Bridal Veil exits because of the slick road conditions. Oregon State Police said they hadn't had any reports of injuries by 11 p.m.

ODOT crews started deicing the roads after the crashes started happening in bunches.

Eric Linthwaite, a teacher in Camas, and a friend drove back to Troutdale from the Gorge where they were trying to climb ice. Linthwaite had left his car near the truck stop and got back to find it covered in freezing rain.

"We were trying to climb ice in the Gorge, and yet while there's ice all over everything, there's not enough ice to actually climb," he said while scraping the ice off his windshield.

He said the road conditions in the Gorge were very slick and he and his friend saw several wrecks.

Meteorologist Dave Salesky said there is a Winter Weather Advisory through the Gorge until 4 a.m. Friday.